Welcome.
Yoga offers a wide range of different elements and benefits. And while I believe that the magic of Yoga lies in integrating these different practices — movement, stretching, relaxation, breath work, meditation — I also think it can be of value to take some time and dive deeper into a particular part of Yoga. So in this challenge we’ll focus on building strength and stability in the body to support our muscles and bones.
As much as I love the creativity in Yoga, I think that we have a tendency to get very ‘complicated’. More advanced postures can require a lot of flexibility; or we find ourselves pretzeled up and turned upside down in some crazy Yoga shapes. In this challenge I’d like to offer movements and sequences that are simple and easy to follow, yet are very effective and targeted! Each session is approximately 20min long and includes a full body Yoga workout. As always, listen to your body and make changes as needed.
DETAILS
TEACHER: Ellen Cremer
STYLE: Strength
LEVEL: Active 1-2
DURATION: 7 Days
COMMITMENT: Daily
TOTAL PRACTICES: 7
PROGRESS
INTRODUCTION
Your Weekly Practices
SETUP YOUR PRACTICE SPACE: Is there one dedicated space where you can leave your props so they are readily available? Or do you like the flexibility to practice on your deck on sunny days? Some privacy is helpful; plus consider turning off your phone, asking for some quiet time from family and keeping excited pets in another room.
PROPS: Here's a general list of props you should have on hand; you may not need all of these depending on the Challenge you're doing. Plus, I announce at the beginning of each practice what you'll need that day. Yoga props are easily found online or at a local sporting goods store.
• Yoga mat
• Two foam Yoga blocks, 4 inch width
• Blankets or pillows (optional: household blankets)
• Yoga bolster (required for most Restorative practices)
• Yoga strap (optional: belt or scarf)
• Therapy balls (only needed for self-massage practices; tennis balls work too)
SHOULD I EAT BEFORE PRACTICE? Try to avoid eating 1-2 hours before any activity; but as with all things, adjust to suit your needs and lifestyle. Avoid caffeine before any relaxation practices.
PRACTICE EVERY DAY? WHEN? It's ok to skip days, take breaks and adjust the schedule to fit your needs! Also each day has a suggested practice time (generally active in the morning, relaxing in the evening); but as always listen to your body and don't be afraid to experiment and modify.
RESPECT YOUR LIMITATIONS: It’s important to remember that not every single Yoga pose offered here is right for everyone, especially with old injuries or other limitations. Please be patient with yourself as you begin this journey and feel free to take breaks or modify as needed.
PRACTICE DETAILS and PROGRESS: Next to each practice you'll find some notes on length, time to practice and what to expect (see sample to the right). When you complete each practice, click the Mark Complete button to save your progress. As you move through the Challenge, you'll see the Progress pie chart change to reflect your progress. You can always click the COMPLETED button again if you want to do that practice over again.
Here are a few related (but optional!) practices that you can include during your Challenge, or afterwards as a followup.
Before you start, it might be helpful to think about how to integrate each of these Yoga sessions into your day. The practices I offer are short and complete; but I also offer options on various days to extend or expand on your practice. Perhaps you’d like to start your day with a short brisk walk outside before adding Yoga. Or knowing that these classes are very targeted and focus on strength, you may add a few minutes of stretching afterwards.
Be mindful with your body and make changes as needed. You may start out with fewer repetitions and take short breaks throughout the sequence. If you are recovering from a shoulder injury, please skip weight-bearing postures like plank pose. Or if you are looking for more of a challenge go ahead and repeat the session! I also suggest you bookmark the videos that work well for you so you can find them in your library easily at a later time.
Enjoy yourself and good luck!
— Ellen Cremer, Owner
Day 1 • Simple Strength 1
Let’s ease into our Simple Strength Challenge today with a nice balance of shoulder, leg, back & core postures!
Morning • 17 min
Active 1-2
Day 2 • Simple Strength 2
Let’s explore similar movements today with a few different variations. Have fun!
Morning • 21 min
Active 1-2
Day 3 • Simple Strength 3
Get ready for some great shoulder, gluteus and core work today with Tulane the cat supervising!
Morning • 20 min
Active 1-2
Day 4 • Simple Strength 4
After a short warm-up and familiar movements, we are adding new variations again. We’ll also start exploring upper-body strength and weight-bearing poses today.
Morning • 19 min
Active 1-2
Day 5 • Simple Strength 5
We’ll focus on the whole body again today while getting creative with Yoga blocks. You’ll be surprised how much we can do with this simple Yoga prop!
Morning • 23 min
Active 1-2
Day 6 • Simple Strength 6
Let’s continue our journey towards increased strength. Have a blanket at hand for some of the kneeling poses today. And… we’ll have some extra cat support again!
Morning • 21 min
Active 1-2
Day 7 • Simple Strength 7
On this last day enjoy the familiarity of some movements and postures—but be ready to explore some new challenges too!
Morning • 18 min
Active 1-2
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Marcia Williams
This was extremely helpful and quite a challenge for me. I appreciated the fact that it got progressively harder as we went along but there were always lots of postures and activities each time that I could do. I look forward to doing this again.
Thank you!!